(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a gaming system and method that allows a single player to play a wagering game of blackjack against multiple dealers. A system and method for playing multiple hands by a player against multiple dealers is also described.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
The gaming industry can be fairly categorized as providing entertainment for its customers or patrons. Thus, to in order to optimize the entertainment value provided to the consuming public, casinos must keep track of statistics such as the number of bets placed per square foot of casino space and the dollar amount spent per consumer per square foot of casino space. This type of analysis parallels the economic analysis used in retail stores, in that the operators must look at the ratio of sales dollars per square foot of casino floor. In gaming, a particular bet or wager is a sale. Therefore, sales for a casino depend on the number of wagers and the amount bet per wager. Accordingly, in order to improve the sales of a particular casino, the operators must seek to increase the number of wagers and the amount bet per wager.
Blackjack is staple in many casinos. The longevity of this game is due in large part to the fact that it is easy to learn and the consuming public has a fairly good chance of beating the casino. Conventional Blackjack is also known as Twenty One is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,789 to LeVasseur and U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,353 to Demarest et al., both of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. A significant aspect of these games is that the dealer or bank must make his play decisions based on fixed, predetermined criteria. Typically, these criteria include that a dealer must continue to take cards so long as his hand does not add up to 17 or more than 21. If the cards add up to seventeen or more, without “busting,” then the dealer must hold and use this hand against the players who have not busted or gone over 21.
An important problem associated with conventional Blackjack is that it inherently limited in the number of wagers that a particular player can place. This problem is present in both table versions of the game, where a single dealer or bank plays against one or more players, and in video or computerized versions of the game where a single player plays against a virtual or computerized dealer or bank. The fact that the player is matched against a single dealer limits the number of transactions or bets that can be carried out at a particular gaming station, whether the gaming station involves live players or a player playing against a computerize, video Blackjack dealer. Thus, the limited number of transactions limits the number or sales or revenue that can be produced from a particular station, leaving the dollar amount played per game as the only variable that can be used by casino operators to attempt to increase the sales per square foot of casino space.
There have been attempts at increasing the productivity of Blackjack stations or tables, but these attempts have resulted in limited success due to the complications or variations introduced to the Blackjack game, or due to the limitations that reduce the productivity of the Blackjack station. For example the above reference invention to LeVasseur allows each player to place several bets at distinct locations on the Blackjack table. The dealer has a corresponding number of card locations for playing against the players. The dealer deals cards to each of the player bet locations and then deals and plays a first round against the first bet location in a conventional manner. The dealer then uses the first card from this first round to play a second round against the second bet location of each player. The process continues until the dealer has used the first card as a basis for playing against all of the player bet locations.
A significant problem associated with the LeVasseur system is that in order to fully exploit the productivity of that system, all players must bet the same number of bets. Thus, if some players only want place two bets, while another player wants to place five bets, the player who placed only two bets must wait until the five bet player is finished before commencing another round.
Thus, there remains a need for a Blackjack gaming system that increases the productivity of Blackjack stations without complicating known Blackjack rules or decision criteria as widely accepted by casinos.
Still further, there remains a need for a Blackjack gaming system that can be automated and that allows a player to make decisions on a single hand to determine the outcome on several wagers. Particularly, there remains a need for such a system that can accommodate more than three wagers per player.
There remains a need for a Blackjack gaming system that enhances the productivity of the Blackjack gaming station and that can be played as a table game, as an electronic or video game, or as part of a game carried out through a local area network or widely reaching network, such as the Internet.
There remains a need for a Blackjack gaming system that results in several bets or wagers being settled from a single player decision.